Cho Joong Ok

As an adopted, white-washed Korean-American millennial, I approve of this book, lol. It has aged well, with the fortunate circumstance that most (if not all) of the special ingredients are common place in most markets, and certainly so in Asian-focused markets. The ingredients used in the recipes are very common in 2024.

Being a hallmark of Korean food, there's a good number of recipes for banchan (sides) and a decent number of kimchee recipes (though these are toned down for the early 90's American audience) and are missing the anchovy, fish sauce, shrimp paste and other seafood ingredients that commonly make their way as seasonings in hardcore Korean food.

That said, I like how the book has a section on seasoning mixes, which is a logical and efficient way of breaking down the cuisine into approachable components.

Overall, I do recommend this oldie if you come across it, especially if it's being sold for only a couple bucks. It's a good enough introduction without being so white-washed that's it something else. Despite being approachable, it's still very much authentic Korean and can comfortably say that having spent years figuring out my Korean identity, a good portion of that journey being through food.… (meer)